Match Details
FINALLY! FINALLY! FINALLY! A victory for India. An emotional yet inspiring moment for every Indian cricket fan. These Women in Blue led by Mithali Raj have broken Australia's 26 ODI winning streak. A very, very famous win here in MacKay. Take a bow, India. Take a bow, ladies. We need to stand and applaud this effort by the visiting team! Truly, a special win.
It was a complete team performance by India as bowlers and batter complimented each other in outsmarting the enviable Australians. The visitors first restricted the outfit in Yellow & Gold to 248/6, that too on a batting paradise. All was then left on the batters to bat deep to fancy this chase.
The ace openers - Smriti and Shafali gave India a solid foundation, notching 59-run stand for the first wicket. Mandhana was removed by Molineux, but only to bring Yastika Bhatia to the middle. The two Indian young forces batted superbly and gave away not even a single chance in their 101-run stand.
However, Meg Lanning’s bowlers found their way to break the partnership as the host side initiated a collapse by ripping off Shafali and Richa Ghosh. Skipper Mithali then joined Yastika in the rescue, but the younggun couldn't last long. Skip got tangled initially, but found her way to score runs and runs at the required rate.
When everything was looking fine for India, Sutherland broke two quick wickets in the form of Mithali and Vatsakar. It was then Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana's turn to showcase their prowesses. They duo put their foot on the gas and thrash some highlight-worth boundaries. The cricket game, which was like a seesaw, turned on its head again. Deepti and Sneh were removed inches before the victory.
Although, in hindsight, it seems Jhulan Goswami - who was the most unfortunate cricketer in the second ODI - notched the winning boundary for INDIA! Women in Blue have scored their highest-ever successful chase in ODIs.